Author Archives: energyskeptic

Antibiotic Resistance

Preface. Just a few of the many articles in the media on antibiotic resistance, which like climate change, will make matters worse for whoever survives Peak Oil.  And it won’t be just bacterial resistance, fungi are now growing resistant to … Continue reading

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Germany’s renewable energy program, Energiewende, is a big, expensive failure

Preface. After reading this post, or better yet the original 44-page document, you’ll understand why the Green New Deal isn’t working out despite being crazy expensive. The goal of Energiewende was to make Germany independent of fossil fuels.  But it … Continue reading

Posted in Alternative Energy, Wind | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Why we must get rid of pesticides

Preface. France is one of the few nations trying to use fewer pesticides. This is the direction we must go to prepare for the end of the fossil age, since pesticides are made out of finite petroleum. Also, we are running … Continue reading

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Ice ages may be caused by mountains rising in the tropics

Preface.  In case you’d forgotten– given all the talk about climate change — we’re still in an ice age that’s been going on for 2.6 million years.  Lucky for us, we’ve been in one of the few warm periods for … Continue reading

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Quartermaster Meigs was essential to winning the Civil War

Preface. This is a book review of Robert O’Harrow’s 2016 book “The Quartermaster.Montgomery C. Meigs. Lincolns general, master builder of the Union army”. I can’t believe I never heard of him, but he is as much responsible for the North … Continue reading

Posted in Railroads, Ships and Barges, War Books | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Let’s harness the muscle power of 54 million fitness center members to generate electricity

Preface. This is a short summary of a 10-page research paper by Carbajales-Dale. Alice Friedemann www.energyskeptic.com  author of “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the Future of Transportation”, 2015, Springer, Barriers to Making Algal Biofuels, and “Crunch! Whole Grain Artisan … Continue reading

Posted in Far Out, Muscle Power | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Humans destroyed 10% of wilderness in just 25 years

Preface. Humans are destroying the wilderness so quickly there it could mostly disappear in less than a century. Since 1993 the world lost an area twice the size of Alaska. So kiss biodiversity, carbon sequestration, ecology, and a stable climate … Continue reading

Posted in Biodiversity Loss, Deforestation | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Decommissioning a nuclear reactor

Preface. Below are excerpts of articles about the costs and challenges of dismantling nuclear power plants.  This is at the top of my “Energy Descent To Do List” given the consequences for future generations for up to a million years, … Continue reading

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We evolved to exercise and need high levels of physical activity to be healthy

Preface. This is a summary of Herman Pontzer’s 2019 “Humans evolved to exercise. Unlike our ape cousins, humans require high levels of physical activity to be healthy” in Scientific American. As fossils decline, it’s almost guaranteed you’ll use more muscle … Continue reading

Posted in Health What to do, Muscle Power | Tagged | 2 Comments

Groundwater rise. Yet another climate change threat.

Preface. In coastal areas flooding is likely to be caused from groundwater rise because as sea levels rise, they won’t only move inland, flooding low-lying land near the shore; but also push water up from the saltwater water table, on … Continue reading

Posted in Floods, Groundwater, Hazardous Waste, Sea Level Rise, Water Infrastructure | Tagged , , | 3 Comments